where I’m from

I am from wobbly swing sets in the backyard, from Schwinn bicycles with streamers on the handlebars and from places where Underoos could double as super hero costumes.

I am from the little red house just three blocks from school with an alley in the back that was just right for bike riding and the big garden in the backyard where I’d pick the zucchini blossoms and beg my mom to stuff them with cheese and cook them up all crispy.

I am from the seat perched up in the great big maple tree that was just the right spot for reading and the yard that was filled with dandelions just right for picking and chaining into necklaces.

I am from always making things from scratch, from long Sunday drives through cornfields that sometimes ended nowhere and other times (when we were really, really lucky) ended on the shores of a Great Lake.

I am from stubborn (though I prefer to call it strong-willed) with a slight dash of nerd tossed in.

I am from “that girl always has her nose in a book” and “don’t make me pull this car over” threats spoken on road trips all across the country.

I am from 9 years of Catholic education with nary a nun for a teacher.

I’m from Indiana where we love our basketball and corn on the cob and darn near anything fried.

From the kids that walked to school every day thru eighth grade – even on Mass days when I had to wear a skirt, the high school where I said yes when asked to the junior prom and then ended up marrying my high school sweetheart, the university where I waited in line for hours to see the one & only Bob Knight speak.

I am from homemade ravioli soup for dinner,
from big Italian gatherings with what felt like 100 cousins,
from working in our family-owned bookstore,
from summer trips to Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs,
from playing flashlight tag on summer nights,
from begging for things like swatch watches, parachute pants and shirts with a little alligator on the front.

I am from a world where I was the big sister (still am, I suppose), the good student, the constant reader, the freshman in high school who looked totally different without her braces & glasses. And now I’m from a world where I am the mom, the writer, still the constant reader, and a woman who looks for opportunities to transform herself.

I first saw this writing prompt on this blog and she first saw it on other blogs. I think it’s fun to do a good old-fashioned writing prompt from time to time. 🙂